Fastener



Nov. 1, 1927.

F. s. CARR FASTENER Filed April 24. 1924 Patented Nov. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES,

FRED S. CARE, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CARR FASTENER COM- PANY, F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATON 0F MAINE.

FASTENER.

Application filed April 24, 1924. Serial No. 708,721.

This invention aims to provide an improved separable fastener.

In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred and a modified form ofmy 111V6114 tion:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the preferred form of fastener;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, being partly in elevation;

3 is a section similar to Fig. 2, but showing the press-button forced lnwardly to displace the locking member;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevationof the preferred form of stud;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation and a side eleyation, respectively, of the prong-presenting back plate;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the preferred form of socket;

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the preferred form of socket;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section of a modified form of stud and socket, being partly in elevation; and I 1 Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of'the modified form of stud as attached to a curtain.

Referring to the preferred form of my in.

vention illustrated in Figures 1' through 7, I have shown a flush type socket. including a socket casing largely countersunk in a recess prongs 5, which are clenched over the head 3.

of the attaching screw to secure. it strongly to the casing. The head of the screw is preferably, as illustrated, seated against flat surfaces 4- between the prongs 5, thereby preventing any relative turning between the attaching screw 5 and the casing during attachment to the support, and also preventing any axial movement of the screw relative to the casing. At the front end of the casing, I have provided an outwardly extending flange 6 adapted to abut against the outer face of the socket support and a front face 7 presenting a stud-receiving aperture 8 and a plurality of tool-receiving slots 9, herein shown as two in number, extending radially from the periphery of the stud-receivingaperture and adapted to receive a screw driver blade for turning the socket during erture and the slots 9 are normally closed by a disk 10, which is urged into aperture-closing position by a spring 11 interposed between the disk 10 and the head 3 of the attaching screw, thereby to prevent the cas-' ing from becoming clogged with dust or dirt. The front face of the socket is preferably, as illustrated, slightly dished to facilitate entrance of the stud, and the inner edge thereof is bent inwardly to conceal the edge of the metal within the socket and to present the smoothly rounded edge for engagement with the stud.

Assuming the parts to be unassembled, the assembly thereof is in the following order, first the sealing disk 10 is dropped into the casing, a spring 11 is then dropped into the casing upon the sealing disk, and the head of the attaching screw is then placed with the corners thereof between the upstanding prongs, which are thereafter bent over the flat edges of the head of the screw and onto the adjacent outer face thereof, thus'clenching the head of the screw in a predetermined relation to the casing. When the casing is rotated to attach the same to the body of the car, .the prongs 5 serve as stops to prevent relative rotation between the casing and the head of the screw.

The preferred form of stud is illustrated in Figs. 1 through 7, and comprises a con-' tractible and expansible head for engagement with the stud-receiving aperture 8 located in the socket. Thishead is preferably pressed from a single sheet of metal and presents a preferably substantially rigid socket-engaging part 12 and a plurality of resilient socket-engaging parts 13, 13, herein shown as two in number. These resilient parts are formed by slots 14, 14, 14 which extend throughout the entire length of the head and preferably a substantial distance into the base 15 of the head of the stud so. that when the stud is resiliently contracted, all substantial bending may be inthe base of the stud and upon substantially straight lines. The vertical slots 14: terminates in an aperture, herein shown as circular, which shortens those portions of the base which are bent during contraction of the stud and'permits the resilient parts of the stud to bend inwardly on substantially radial lines toward'the center of the stud.

The head of the stud may be locked attachment thereof. The stud-receiving apagainst contraction by a locking member 16 reciprocable within the stud and presenting a head 17 which is normally heldwithin the reversely bent flanged portions 18, located at the outer end of the stud. The locking member 16 may be held in this position by a spring 19 interposed between the reversely bent flanged portions 18 and the rear face of the press button 20 located at and preferably integral with the outer end of the locking member 16. The locking member 16 may be moved out of locking relation by a movement thereof from between the free ends of the resilient socket-engaging parts and in the preferred embodiment of my invention, as illustrated, this is done by pressure on the outer face of the press button 20. Thus when the stud is to be entered in its socket, a slight initial pressure will press the ends of the stud against the sloping sur faces of the studreceiving socket and an additional pressure will cause the locking member to advance out of locking position, and further pressure will permit the resilient parts of the stud to collapse and the whole end of the stud to enter within the socket. Release of pressure will then permit the spring 19, assisted by the spring 11 in the casing, to press the locking member 16 into its locking position where the stud cannot collapse. The stud cannot be removed from the socket by strain in any direction until pressure on the press button again removes the locking member 16 from its locking posi tion.

To facilitate entrance within the stud of the locking member 16 under the pressure of the springs 19 and 11, or either of them, I preferably somewhat taper the head 17. This also contributes to easy action of the parts since contraction of the stud may start during engagement before the locking member has been fully moved to unlocking posi tion.

To etl'ect attachment of the stud to the curtain 21 or other flexible stud-carrying medium, I prefer to provide an anvil part 22 integral with and formed from the base 15 of the stud, and a front plate 28 secured to the anvil part by rolling inwardly a portion of the outer periphery of the latter, thereby providing a flange or clench plate 24 overlying the outer periphery of the anvil part 22. The stud parts hereinbefore described are assembled complete before attachment thereof to the curtain. To effect the actual attachment, I haveprovided at the opposite side of the curtain, a back plate 25 presenting a plurality .of attaching prongs 26 adapted to be forced through the curtain 21 against the anvil part 22- which turns the ends of" the prongs preferably outwardly and downwardly against the clench plate 24:, the curtain being squeezed between the back plate 25 and the base portion 15 of the stud. To provide a greater grip. upon the The front plate 23 presents an aperture having a peripheral wall surrounding the press button 20, this wall providing a guiding surface for the press button 20 and also a means for limiting the forward movement thereof. The front plate is spaced far enough away from the base 15 of the head of the stud to permit forward movement of the press button, thereby to displace the locking head into unlocked position, so that the head may contract as hereinbefore described, and also to permit those portions of the resilient socket-engaging parts 13, 13,

which are located in the base, to bend toward the front plate withoutinterfering with the press button.

The preferred form of stud may be secured to the preferred form of socket by pressing the stud, with the thumb or finger located at the press button, toward the cooperating socket. The inner end of the head of the stud engages the periphery of the stud-receiving aperture 8. and further pressure applied to the press button forces the sloping head 17 of the locking member out of engagement with the reversely bent portion of the stud and permits the resilient parts 13, 13 to contract, thereby allowing the head of the stud to enter and engage the stud-receiving aperture 8. The extent of entrance of the head of the stud into the socket is limited by a shoulder 27 located upon the head of the stud. During the entrance of the head of the. stud into the stud-receiving aperture, there is little or no contraction of the substantially rigid part 12, as the widest part thereof is preferably about the same as the diameter of the stud receiving aperture. When the head of the stud is fully engaged in the stud-receiving aperture, the sloping head 17 of the locking member is then returned to its normal locking position by the spring 19, aided by the spring-pressed sealing disk 10, as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The stud is now locked with the socket against accidental separation thereof by strain. on the curtain, such as a wind strain or a strain exerted thereon by a person inside the car leaning shrunken curtain, the rigid quality of this portion of the stud becomes important, since it may be first entered in the socket and pressure applied to the extreme bottom of the stud front plate to complete the entering operation with a favorable leverage assisting in the stretching of the curtain. If the upper portion of thestud were not substantially rigid, itwould-collapse under this strain to such an extent as to prevent the head 17 of the locking member 16 from entering the stud when the latter is finally entered in the socket.

Separation of the stud from the socket may be effected by grasping the lower edge of the curtain and'exerting a slight outward pull thereon and at the same time pressing inwardly upon the press button with the thumb, which forces'the sloping head of the locking member against the pressure of the springpressed sealing disk out ofengagement with the reversely bent portions of the stud, thus permitting contraction of the resilient parts 13, 13 and separation of the head of the stud from the socket by a tipping movement.

Referring now to the modified form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, I have shown a socket having a one-piece casing presenting rounded screw threads 28 pressed out of the body portion of the casing, which are adaptedto engage female threads in the body of the car to secure the socket in place. The casing is also provided with a flanged part 29, a front face 30 presenting a stud-receiving aperture, tool-receiving slots 31, a disk 32 and a spring 33 normally urging the disk into apertureclosing position. The back edge of the casing retains the spring and diskin position and is rolled inwardly after the disk and spring have been placed within the casing.

The stud illustrated in the modified form of my invention is substantially like and operates the same as that shown and described in connection with the preferred form of my invention, the only difference being in the mode of attaching the same to the curtain. In this instance, I have provided a tubular rivet 34 which has its free end extending in the same direction as the head of the stud, so as to pass through the curtain 21 to be clenched against the back plate 36. The rivet 34 surrounds a portion of the stud and presents a base flange 35 which is'held in assembly with the casing by the inwardly rolled flange 24 of the front plate 23. This tubular rivet is presented at the back side of the curtain through an opening in a backplate 36 against which it is clenched to secure the stud in position upon the curtain, as best illustrated in Fig. 9.

The means for ii in the curtain'is' also somewhat different than that illustrated in the preferred form of my invention. In

of the back plate and similar serrations 38 located upon the'fiange 35 of the rivet, preferably out of line with and disposed be tween the serrations located on the back plate. The serrations are preferably triangular in cross-section and bluntly pointed so that they are merely pressed into and gripthe fabric without cut-ting the threads thereof.

While I have shown and described pre ferred forms of my'invention, it will be understood that changes involving omission, substitution, alteration and reversal of parts, and even changes in the mode of operation, may be made Without departing from the scope of my invention, which is best defined in the following claims.

I (laim:

1. A stud for a separable fastener including a contractible and expansible socket-engaging member, the outer end of which is bent inwardly upon itself to provide a seat, combined locking and press-button means assembled with said socket-engaging member'and presenting at one end a boss for engagement with said seat to prevent contrac tion of said socket-engaging member, and at the other end a press-button member located adjacent to the opposite end of said socketengaging member from said seat, said press button manually operative to displace said locking means beyond the free end of said socket-engaging member to permit contraction of said socket-engaging member when being engaged with or disengaged from the cooperating socket.

2. A curtain fastener stud comprising asa unit prior to attachment to its carrying medlum, a socket-engag1ng part having a base, a shank and a contractible and expansible head for' engagement with a socket,

a front plate secured to the base of said socket-engaging part, a spring-pressed locking member axially shiftable in said head, and a press-button located between said front plate and the base of the socket-engaging part, said press-button presenting a portion thereof through an aperture in said front plate so that it may be manually operated to shift said lo;king member.

3. A stud vfor a separable fastener including a socket-engaging head struck up from a base, and a relatively long shankbetween said head and said base, said head and shank slit longitudinally to permit contraction of said head, said stud presenting in the end of the head thereof an aperture of substantial size surrounded by wall adapted to be engaged by a cooperating locking element for holding said head against contraction, when said stud is engaged with a cooperating socket, said stud presenting between said head and shank, a shoulder to limit the extent of entrance of said stud into a cooperating socket.-

A stud for a separable fastener includ ing a socket-engaging head stru d: up from a base, and a relatively long shank betwe :1 said head. and saulbime, said head and shank slit longitudinally to permit contraztion of said head, said stud presenting in the end of the head thereof an aperture of substantial size to receive a cooperating locking element for holding said head against contraction, said head of said stud pi seating a rigid portion. and an opposed resilient portion.

A stud for a separable fastener including a socket-engaging head struck up from a base, and a relatively lei g; shank between said head and said base, said head and shank slit longitudinally to permit contraction of said head, said stud presenting in the end of the head thereof an aperture of substantial size to receive a cooperating locking element for holding said head against contraction, said head of said stud presenting a rigid portion and a plurality of opposed resilientportions.

6. A separable fastener comprising, in combination, a stud including a contractible and expansible head, a recigrocable locking member forming apart of the fastener assembly and adapted to lock said head against contraction thereof, a cooperating socket piesenting a stud-receiving aperture and a spring-pressed sealing disk normally closing said aperture, said spring-pressed sealing disk operatively urging said locking member into locking position when said head is en gaged in said aperture.

combination, a stud including a :ontractible and expansible heat, a locking member forming a part of the fastener assembly and adapted to lock said head against contraction thereof, a press-button operatively connected with said locking member, a co operating socket presenting a stud-receiving aperture and a spring-pressed sealing disk normally closing said aperture, said springpressed sealing disk operatively urging said locking member into locking position when said head is engaged in said aperture, said press button manually operable to shift said locking member against the pressure of said spring-pressed sealing disk, thereby to permit contraction of said head and withdrawal tl woof from said aperture:

8. A separable fastener comprising, in combination, a socket presenting a stud-receiving aperture, a cooperating stud having 'Z. A separable fastener comin'ising, in-

ahead cont ractible'afor entrance intoysaid posite to the socket engaging end thereof,

said press button being exposed through'an aperture in a front plate portion of the stud and being normally operable by pressing thereon to move said locking means beyond the outer end of said head to permit contraction of saidhead and withdrawal thereof from said socket. j

9. A stud for a separable fastener including an expansible and contractible head presenting a plurality of reversely bent portions at the socket-engaging end thereof, a locking member assembled with said stud for engagement with 7 said reversely bent portions to prevent contraction of said head, a press-button integral with said locking member and a spring interposed between said press-button and the inner periphery of said reversely bent portions for normally posi-- tioning said locking memberin locking' relation to said head, said press-button manually operable against the pressure of said spring to shift said locking member into unlocked position thereby to permit contraction of said head;

10. A stud for a separable fastener including an expansible and contractible head hav ing reversely bent portions at the socketengaging end thereof, a locking member assembled with said stud presenting a sloping head for engagement with said reversely bent portions to prevent contraction of said head, a press-button integral with said locking member and a spring interposed between said press-button and the inner periphery of said reversely bent portions for normally positioning said locking member in looking relation to said head, said press-button manually operable against the pressure of said sprlng to shlft said locklng member into unlocked position thereby to permit contraction of said head. i

11. A stud and socket fastener comprising, in combination, a socket presenting a studreceiving aperture, a spring-pressed sealing disk reciprocable within said socket and normally closing said aperture, a cooperating stud having a slit head contractible and expansible for engagement in said aperture and locking means forming a part of the fastener assembly and adapted to lock said head against contraction, said sealing means pressing said locking means toward locking position when said head is engaged in said aperture. v

12. A separable fastener including a soc ret adapted to be secured to a rigid socketca'rrying part and presenting a stud-receiving aperture, in combination with a stud adapted tobe secured to a flexible studcarrying fabric, said stud including a socketengaging head including a substantially rigid portion and a plurality orresilient portions, said rigid portion for. location toward the main body of the stud-carrying,

pressure on that side'of said plate presenting fabric and said yielding portions for location adjacent the edge of the socket-carrying fabric. 7

13. A separable fastener including a socket adapted to be secured to a rigid socketcarr in art and resentin a stud-receivy a:

ing aperture, in combination with a stud adapted to be secured to a flexible studcarrying fabric, said stud including a socketengaging head composed, of a substantially rigid portion and a plurality of resilient portions, a spring-pressed locking member forming a part of the studassembly for locking said portion of said head against contraction when engaged in said studreceiving aperture and a press-button for displacing said locking member to permit contraction of the resilient portions of said head thereby to permit separation of said stud from said socket. v

14. A stud fora separable fastener adapted to be secured to a flexible fabric, said stud including a head presented at one side of the curtain comprising a substan tially rigid upper portion and a plurality of resilient lower portions for engagement with a socket, a spring-pressed locking part forming a part of the stud assembly and normal-ly in looking position, thereby to prevent contraction of said head and a press-button presented at the opposite side of said curtain from said head, said press-button manually operable to shift said locking part into unlocking position to permit contraction of said resilient parts.

15. A stud for a separable fastener includ ing a contractible and expansible socket.- engaging head extending from a base portion, locking means forming a part of the fastener stud and normally engaging. the exterior end of said head, press button means also forming a part of the stud assembly locatedadjacent to said base portion for shifting said locking meansout of engagement with said head by movement thereof beyond the free end of said head and a casing for said press button having an aperture in the front face thereof to expose the press button.

16. 'A stud for attachment to a flexible carrying medium and adapted for engagement with a rigidly carried socket presenting a stud-receiving aperture, said stud presenting a contractible head including a rigid portion and a resilient portion, a plate connected to said stud and presenting a substantial overhang at that side of said stud opposite said rigid portion and a lesser overhang at the side adjacent said rigid portion,

whereby when said stud is connected to its flexible carrying medium with the side pre the substantial overhang will afford a favorable leverage to forcethe resilient portion .of saidstud within the stud-receiving aperture of'said socket.

17. A .stud for. attachment to afiexible carrying mediumand adapted for engagement with a rigidly carried socket presenting a stud-receiving aperture, said stud presenting a contractible head, a plate connected to said stud and presenting a substantially overhanging portion at one side thereof and a lesser overhanging portion at the opposite side thereof, locking means forming a part of the fastener assembly for nor mally opposing contraction of said head, press-button means for shifting said locking means into unlocking position, said press button presenting an extended surface adja cent said substantial overhanging portion whereby during engagement of said stud in a cooperating socket that portion of the stud head opposite said substantial overhanging portion of said plate may be first entered and said press-button may be pressed with the end of the thumb to hold said locking means in unlocking position while the adja cent ball of the thumb may exert pressure on said substantial overhanging portion under favorable leverage conditions to complete the entrance of said head into the socket. 7

18. A stud fora separable fastener in cluding a socket-engaging headpresenting a rigid portion, ribs for stifiening said rigid portion and a resilient portion contractible and expansible to permit'engagement of said head with a socket.

19. A stud for a separable fastener including a socket-engaging portion of substantial length struck up from a base plate, said socket engaging portion being divided by three slots extending from the free end of said socket engaging portion into said base plate, a plurality of resilient portions and a substantially rigid portion provided by said socket-engaging portion and means providing an aperture at the end of one of said slots diametrically opposite said rigid portion thereby to permit said resilient members to bend generally radially upon substantially short lines in said base, between said aperture and the ends of said other slots.

20. A separable fastener comprising, in combination, a socket presenting a stud-receiving aperture, a rounded wall surrounding said aperturea spring-pressed sealing locking member, and a press-button, operatively assembled with the unit a tubular rivet and a front plate, said front plate having portion of its outer periphery rolled over the base of said rivet and said base 7 plate to secure said parts in assembled'relm t-ion, said rivet adapted to pass through a flexible fabric to be clenched against a back fabric;

In testimony whereof, I have-signed my name to this specification.

- FRED-S. CARR- Certificate of Correction.

Patent No. 1,647,771. Granted November 1, 1927, to

FRED S. CARR.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the abovenumbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, line 5, claim 12, for the word or read of; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of December, A. D. 1927. r

[SEAL] M. J. MOORE,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

